Florida On Saturday, Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a speech at Sarasota’s New College of Florida, in which he praised the state’s educational achievements and reforms and criticized the “woke” monopoly on academia.
“In the last 5½ years, there’s been no state that has done more to reform and improve education. … We took on school choice. We made sure schools were open during COVID, battling school unions, all this stuff. So it was really, really good.” DeSantis stated.
The previous school administration and the governor have been embroiled in a contentious power struggle at New College of Florida, the state’s liberal arts honors college. Governor DeSantis has been attempting to transform the institution in the image of Hillsdale College in Michigan.
DeSantis appointed a new board of six members in January 2023, which included Christopher Rufo, an outspoken activist and critic of critical race theory and DEI.
The governor directed his ire toward the utilization of public resources for what he perceives as ideological indoctrination.
“If you want to go be on some Marxist commune, if that’s what you want to do with your life, who am I to say? But I don’t want the taxpayers of Florida funding that. So, we made some big changes. … What’s in the best interest of the state of Florida. And I think what you’ve seen, I don’t think you’ve seen more dramatic improvement at any other institution.” DeSantis continued.
DeSantis contended that the new vision for the school is comparable to the educational philosophy of the nation’s greatest writers and philosophers at the inception of American democracy.
“The mission is, we want a liberal arts education that is rooted in the Western tradition — a classical education similar to what our Founding Fathers had when they went to universities. That is something that I think will attract people not just throughout Florida, but throughout the country.” the Florida Governor concluded.
[READ MORE: DeSantis Signs New Bill to Limit HOA Related Fines]
